The surprising thing Carole Middleton and Meghan Markle have in common revealed

Meghan Markle and Carole Middleton aren't names you here in the same sentence every day, but the royal-in-laws have more in common than you might think. 

• Meghan Markle's relationship with Carole Middleton is rarely discussed, but the two women have more in common than it might seem. 
• The Duchess of Sussex and Kate Middleton's mother share almost-identical beliefs on a particular subject—but have likely never had the chance to chat about it. 
• In other royal news, Princess Diana once 'boldly confronted' Camilla to demand her husband back.
  

As the mother of Meghan Markle's 'so-called' nemesis (cue major eye-roll), Carole Middleton isn't exactly known for being BFFs with the stateside royal. 

Kate's mum attended the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's wedding in 2018, but it seems that's where her connection to the couple cuts off. The two women have only been photographed together a handful of times, and with Meghan and Harry now embracing a new life in the US, it looks unlikely they'll be sharing the same camera flash any time soon. 

It doesn't help that Carole's brother, Gary Goldsmith, has made a number of critical comments about the Sussexes in the press. Not only has Kate Middleton's uncle rejected Meghan Markle's claims that the Duchess of Cambridge made her cry, but he has also said he's 'disappointed' with the couple's high-profile withdrawal from the Royal Family in January 2020. With so much negativity coming from the Middletons towards Ms. Markle, we doubt there's much desire on either side of the Atlantic for a reconciliation. 

If the two ladies do ever decide to catch up though, they would likely have some solid mutual interests to chat about. 

Meghan Markle and Carole Middleton surprisingly share some very similar attitudes towards food, with both ladies sticking to a mostly vegan diet where possible. The Duchess of Sussex revealed in 2015 that she abstains from animal products five days out of the week and allows herself to indulge for those leftover 48 hours. 

"I try to eat vegan during the week and then have a little bit more flexibility with what I dig into on the weekends," she told Best Health in 2015. A proud animal lover, the 40-year-old prefers to keep meat off her plate for most meals and has even reportedly objected to the Queen's summer holiday tradition of grousing in the past. 

While Carole Middleton has never gone as far as dissing Her Majesty's passion for hunting, she certainly isn't afraid to flout royal cuisine. 

Like Meghan, the 66-year-old has embraced a plant-based diet, telling The Telegraph in 2018 that she has "recently gone vegan." She even revealed that she'd be serving a vegan option for Christmas at her Berkshire home alongside the "traditional" dishes, hinting that she hopes to share the joys of her newfound meal plan with the rest of the Middleton clan. 

Carole and Meghan both also allow themselves lenience with their diets, refusing to inconvenience others or deprive themselves in their pursuit of a healthier lifestyle. 

"It's all about balance," Meghan said. "Because I work out the way I do, I don't ever want to feel deprived. I feel that the second you do that is when you start to binge on things." 

Carole echoed these sentiments two years later, admitting that she'll ditch her vegan diet to avoid offending a friend. "If I go to someone's house for dinner, I’m not going to make a fuss," she said. 

Contrary to popular belief, Carole and her husband Michael don't accompany their daughter Kate to the Royal Family's Christmas celebrations at Sandringham House. 

Instead, they typically host a lavish banquet—complete with must-have mulled wine and mince pies—for the rest of Middletons at their family home of Bucklebury Manor. Meghan and Harry are also expected to be absent from the Queen's festivities, marking their second Christmas in a row away from the royal matriarch. The couple is reportedly planning to stay in their $14 million Santa Barbara mansion for the holidays, where they will likely be joined by Meghan's mom, Doria Ragland.